Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-09-16
ALLAN QUARTERNAIE.
A BROWNING CITY.

Our people fought magnifcently, hurting
themselves upon the dark mass of Elmor-
an, tewfng, thrusting, staying, and being
slain And ever above the din rose Goods
awful yell of encouragement as he plunged
eyeglass and all, to wherever the fight was
taickest; and ever, with an almost ma
chine-like regularity, the two axes rose
and fell, carrying death and disablement
at every stroke. But | could see that the
strain was beginning to tell upon Sir Hen
ry who was bleeding from several flesh
wounds: his breath was coming in gasps
and the veins stood out on his forehead like
blue and knotted cords. Even Umslopogaas
man Of iron that he was, was hard pressed.
| noticed that he had given up ''woodpeck-
ing" and was now using the broad blade
of Inkosikaasi, browning" his enemy
wherever he could hit him, instead of
drilling scientific holes in his head | my
self did not go into the melee, but lowered
outside like the swift back" in a football
scrimmage, putting bullet through
Nasal whenever | got a chance. ! was of
more use so. fired forty-nine cartridges
that morning, and ! did not miss many
shots.
Presently, do as we would, the beam OF
the balance began to rise against US. We
had not more than fifteen or sixteen eff
fectives left now, and the Nasal had at
least fifty. OF course II they had kept their
heads, and shaken themselves together,
they could soon have made an end of the
matter; but that is just what they did not
do, not having yet recovered from their
start, and some OF them having actually
fed from their sleepingplaces without
their weapons. Still by this time many in
divduals were fighting with their normal
courage and discretion, and this alone was
sufficient to defeat US TO make matters
worse just then, when Mr.. Mackenzie's
rife was empty, brawny savage armed
with ''sime" or sword, made a rush for
him. The clergyman flung down his gun,
and, drawing his huge carver from his
elastic belt (his revolver having dropped
out in the fight, they closed in desperate
struggle. II really was sight to see that
good but angular man go in-coat tails,
broad brimmed hat, carving knife, and all
They say that nobody is 50 bitter as an
apostate, SO on the same principle, for
fighting purposes at pinch commend me
to n man Of peace. At any rate, Macken-
Zie's play with the carving knife was some
thing beautiful; though fear that the So
this way of converting the heather"
Presently, locked in close embrace, mis-
sionary and Nasal rolled on the ground
behind the wall, and for some time |, being
amply occupied with my own affairs, and
in keeping my skin from being pricked,
remained in ignorance of his fate or how
the duel had ended.
To and fro surged the fight, slowly turn
INK round like the vortex of human
whirlpool, and things began TO look very
bad for US. Just then however, a forum.
ate ching happened. { nslOpogaas, either
by accident or design, broke out OF the
ring and engaged warrior Mt some few
PAGES from it.. AS he did so, another man
ran up and struck him with all his force
between the shoulders with his great spear,
which, falling on the tough steel shirt,
failed TO pierce it and rebounded. For a
moment the man stared aghast-protective
armor being unknown among these tribes
and then he yelled out at the top of his
voice
"7hey arc deUils-bct0itChCd, betUitchedp'
And, seized by sudden panic, he threw
down his spear and began to fly. | cut
short his career with n bullet, and Umslop-
ogaas Drained his man; and then the panic
spread to the others.
"BclUitchcd, bClcitchcdr' they cried, and
tried to escape in every direction, utterly
dGmoralized and broken rited for the
most part even throwing down their shields
and spears.
On the last scene of the dreadful fight ]
need not dwell 1t was slaughter great
and grim, in which no quarter was asked
or given. One incident, however, is worth
detailing. Just D ! was hoping that II
was all done with, suddenly, from under a
heap of slain where he had been hiding,
an unw6lnded warrior sprang up, an |,
clearing the piles of dying and dead like an
antelope, sped like the wind up the kraal
toward the spot where | was standing at
the moment. But he was not alone. for
Umsopogaas came gliding on his tracks
with the peculiar swallow-lilIe motion for
which he was noted; and. rs they neared
me, recognized in the Nasal the herald
of the previous night. Finding that, run
as he would, his pursuer was gaining on
him. the man halted and turned round to
give battle. Umslopogaas also pulled up.
"Ah nh " he cried to the Elmoran, ''it il
thou whom talked with last night-the
lNgouani, the herald the Capturer OF little
girls he who would kill little girl And
thuu didst hope to stand man to man and
face to face with an Induna of the tribe of
the Maquilisini, Of the people of the Anna
2ulu' Behold, thy prayer is granted And
| did swear to hew thee limb from limb,
thou insoIent dog. Behold, l will do it
even nowi'
The Nasal ground his teeth with fury,
and charged mt the Xula with his spear
As he came, Umslopogaas deity stepped
aside and swinging lnkosikaasi high above
his head with both hands, brought the
broad blade down with such fearful force
from behind upon the Masa's shoulder
just where tho neck is set into the frame,
that its razor edge shore right through
bone and flesh and muscle almost severing
the head and one arm from the body.
"Thcrer' calculated UmslopOgaas, CON
tcmplating the corpse of his foe; Il have
kept my word. 1t was good stroke"
CRATER ALruoNSE EXPLAINS
AND 50 the fight was ended. On turning
from this shocking scene, it suddenly
struck me that | had seen nothing of Al
phouse since the moment. some twenty
minutes bcfore-for though this fight has
taken II long while TO decribe, 1t did not
'ftN' NHS III lthlNN " iti 1 itttl btth
forced to hit him in the wind, with the re
suit Of nearly getting myself shot Fear
ing that the poor little man had persisted
in the battle, began to hunt about among
the dead for mis- body; but not being able
either to see or hear anything of it, | con
Cluded that he must have survived, and |
walked down the side of the kraal where
we had first taken our stand, calling him
by name. Now some fifteen PAGES back
from the kraal wall stood very ancient
tree of the banyan species. So ancient was
It, that all the inside had in the course of
AGES decayed away, leaving nothing but a
she'll Of bark.
"Alphonse," l called, as walked down
the wall, "Alphonsew
"OW, monsieur" answered a voice.
Here am L."
looked round, but could see nobody.
"WhereY' | cried
Here | am. monsieur. in the tree"
| looked. and there, peerlnG out of hole
in the trunk of the banyan about five feet
from the ground, | saw pale face and a
pair of large mustachios. one clipped short
and the other MS lamentably out of curl as
the tail of a newly whipped pug. Then,
for the first time, | realized what | had
suspected before-namely, that Alphouse
was an arrant coward. walked up TO
him. Come out of that hole, +" said.
rs it finished, monsieur" he asked,
apNiously, quite fiuisheds All. the hor-
rurs have undergone, and the prayers /
have uttered"
Come out, you little skunk" said,
for did not feel amiable, lit is all over"